Chapter 1

Someone forcefully slapped my face.

Half of my face immediately went numb. I heard a ringing sound in my ears, and I could taste blood in my mouth.

I turned my head to the side and let my hair cover the cold glint of my eyes.

The person who slapped me was my biological mother, Lily Reid.

She pointed a finger at me while her well-maintained face twisted in anger.

“Brooklyn! You shameless idiot!

“How could the Anderson family have a disgraceful son like you? How dare you cheat in your high school final examination?

“Don’t you know that because of your greed and pride, the entire Anderson family has been humiliated!”

After the examination, the classroom was full of people.

Some classmates were watching, and the discipline teacher stood there with a dark expression.

Dylan Anderson, who looked disappointed and upset, stood aside as well.

He purposely lowered his head. He looked self-reproachful. Anyone who looked at him would think that he was a kind and forgiving younger brother.

“Mom… don’t hit him. It’s my fault…

“I should’ve handled this better. I shouldn’t have scored the highest in class every time and stress Brooklyn out.

“Brooklyn just really wants your recognition. That’s why he made the silly mistake of copying my answers…

“If… If Brooklyn’s results are voided, I’ll also give up on my direct enrollment. I’ll accompany Brooklyn to retake the year…”

It was an amazingly touching speech.

If I had not seen him toying with my car brakes in the past with my own eyes and heard how smugly he had laughed at my funeral with my own ears, I would have fallen for his act.

The past was also repeating itself in this room.

After the examinations ended, the class teacher, Nina Lee, had reported me for cheating. She had said my answers were identical to Dylan’s.

When I looked at the two identical exam papers, I was unable to defend myself.

In order to protect Dylan’s status as a top scholar and the Anderson family’s reputation, they sacrificed me without any hesitation.

They forced me to admit that I had cheated and dropped out of school.

In order to prevent me from telling the truth, they sent me to a mental asylum.

I was tortured for three whole years.

Under the cover of a stormy night, I finally escaped. But I died in a car accident carefully plotted by Dylan.

I finally understood when I died that the so-called biological son was just trash that they could dispose of at any time.

Dylan was their only cherished son that they had groomed for eighteen years.

When I opened my eyes again, I returned to the day after the high school examination ended.

In the face of Lily’s accusation, I slowly looked up and wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth.

My eyes were calm.

“Mom, you claim that I cheated. Where’s your evidence?”

Lily was momentarily stunned. She did not expect that I would talk back to her, when I was usually meek and docile.

Immediately after, she got even angrier.

“Evidence? Ms. Lee has already provided the evidence. How dare you talk back?”